Today's digital cameras look and function similar to analog 35 mm SLR's cameras, except that digital cameras store images digitally in a memory card and include an LCD display that allows the user to instantly view the images directly on the camera. The stored images may then be transferred to a host computer system for viewing, printing, editing and otherwise manipulating the images. In instances where the host computer includes a drive that is compatible with a memory card, such as a notebook computer, the images may be transferred by inserting the digital camera's memory card into the host computer.(e.g., via a PCMCIA slot). instances where the host computer lacks a drive that is compatible with a memory card, the digital camera images may be uploaded to the host computer through some type of communication channel, such as a universal serial bus (USB) or IrDA. To enable the uploading of images and the viewing of the images once on the host, most, if not all, digital cameras are shipped with one or more software applications that provide such functionality once loaded on the host.
One type, of software application shipped with today's digital cameras is a graphics application, such as Adobe PhotoDeluxe or Microsoft Picture It!, that allows a user to edit and manipulate images.
Another type of software application provided with digital cameras is a communication application that enables the graphics application to communicate with the digital camera. The technology underlying most communication applications include Windows OLE Control EXtension (OCX) modules and Twain (Technology Without An Interesting Name) data source modules. In operation, some communication applications insert a “digital camera” option into the graphics application's Import menu that allow the user to select, upload, and manage digital camera images.
Although the present method for allowing the user to upload and view digital camera images on a host computer function adequately, the method has several disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the digital camera must be shipped with a communication application that has been specifically written to communicate with that particular type of digital camera. Consequently, if images from a different type of digital camera are to be uploaded to-the host computer, a completely new camera-specific communication application must be loaded onto the host, typically from a CD ROM or floppy disk that has been included with the digital camera packaging. After loading the appropriate communication application, the user must then learn how to operate it, which depending on the user, may not be a trivial exercise.
Today's digital camera users perceive the notion of having to load camera-specific software onto the host, learn how to use the camera-specific software, tether the digital camera to the host, and then upload the images too burdensome a task just to view images from the camera.
Another disadvantage with the conventional method for uploading digital camera images to the host computer is that the graphics application on the host typically receives the images from the camera in compressed form. The graphics application must then open and decompress each image for display and manipulation. For permanently storing images on the host, the images are then compressed a second time to save space, which degrades image quality if a well-known lossy compression scheme, such as JPEG compression, is used.
Due to such disadvantages the current method for viewing digital camera images on a host computer may be inhibiting the widespread adoption of digital cameras.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method and system for viewing images from an image capture device on a host computer without the need for first loading camera-specific software onto the host computer. The present invention addresses such a need.